18.08.2026 16:01
The scale of the allegation that some IVF centers in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus may have used reproductive cells from different individuals instead of the sperm or egg donors chosen by foreign families has grown. In the BBC's months-long investigation, it was reported that suspicions initially emerging regarding 7 children have now reached at least 30 children, with most cases linked to British families.
New developments have emerged regarding allegations that some foreign families receiving IVF treatment at centers in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus may have had different sperm or egg donors used instead of the ones they selected. In the British broadcaster BBC's months-long investigation, it was reported that the number of suspected cases, initially raised through 7 children, has risen to at least 30. According to the BBC's new investigation, it is suspected that in at least 30 children, mostly belonging to British families, reproductive cells from other individuals may have been used instead of the sperm or egg donors the families had selected before treatment.
It was stated that families made their choices by reviewing information such as the health histories, physical characteristics, personalities, educational backgrounds, and hobbies of the donors presented to them before treatment, but after the children were born, some families began to suspect discrepancies due to differences in physical characteristics.
INITIAL INVESTIGATION BROUGHT 7 CHILDREN TO THE AGENDA
In the BBC's first investigation, suspicion of a "wrong donor" was focused on 7 children born to families who underwent IVF treatment in the TRNC. Most of the families the BBC reached at that time had performed private DNA tests on their children and claimed that the results did not match the donors they were said to have selected before treatment. One of the most striking examples of the initial investigation was the child of the British couple Beth and Laura.
THEY CHOSE THE SAME DONOR, BUT THE CHILDREN TURNED OUT NOT TO BE BIOLOGICAL SIBLINGS
Beth and Laura applied to an IVF center in the TRNC in 2011 to start a family and chose an anonymous donor presented as "Finn" from the Denmark-based sperm bank Cryos International for their treatment. The couple specifically requested that the same donor be used for their second treatment so that their two children would be biological siblings. After the first treatment, Kate was born, and after the second, James. However, thinking that James's physical characteristics did not match those of the Danish donor shown to the family, the couple had DNA tests done on their children years later.
The tests revealed that Kate and James were not born from the same sperm donor. It was also reported that the likelihood of a biological connection between the children and the donor named "Finn," whom they were said to have selected, was low.
It was reported that later tests conducted in laboratories accepted by the British legal system also confirmed that the two children did not have the same biological father.
THE ALLEGATION THAT STARTED WITH SEVEN CHILDREN REACHED 30 CHILDREN
Following the initial reports, it was stated that with new families joining the BBC's investigation, the number of suspected children rose from 7 to at least 30. According to information obtained by the BBC, it was determined that the families of 15 of these 30 children had received treatment at the same center. The report stated that Dr. Firdevs Uğuz Tip, Dr. Şevket Alptürk, and international patient coordinator Julie Hodson were involved in the treatment processes of a significant portion of these patients.
Dr. Firdevs Uğuz Tip denied allegations of any misconduct. Tip had argued in the BBC's first investigation that she was not responsible for sperm orders and that the request regarding the donor chosen by Beth and Laura had not been communicated to her. It was reported that Şevket Alptürk and Julie Hodson did not respond to questions posed within the scope of the BBC's new investigation.
DNA TESTS WERE CONDUCTED ON 11 OF THE 30 CHILDREN
One of the most significant developments amplifying the scale of the allegations came from DNA tests. According to the BBC, commercial DNA tests were conducted on 11 of the 30 suspected children. It was stated that in some of the tests, the children's genetic origins did not match the donor profiles presented to the families before treatment, with genetic origins extending to Turkey, surrounding countries, and Southern Europe being detected. The results increased the families' doubts about whether the sperm or egg donors they had actually selected were used in their treatments.
SHE LEARNED 13 YEARS LATER THROUGH A DNA TEST
One of the notable cases in the BBC's new investigation involved a British woman named Rachel. It was reported that in 2012, at the age of 39, Rachel paid approximately 4,000 euros for IVF treatment in the TRNC and chose a Danish sperm donor from the profiles presented to her. After her son Jonah was born, Rachel's suspicions persisted for years as she believed the child's physical characteristics did not match the donor's profile.
In a DNA test conducted 13 years later, it was revealed that Jonah was Rachel's biological son, but his genetic origin did not match the Danish sperm donor she was said to have selected. The BBC reported that the DNA results indicated Jonah carried Turkish and Southern European genetic origins.
"WE DON'T KNOW WHO OUR DONORS ARE"
The problem experienced by the families was not limited to their children's genetic origins. The families state that because they do not know who their children's true biological donors are, they also have no information about these individuals' health histories, hereditary diseases, or potential genetic risks they might carry. In the first case, Beth said they thought they knew the family and health history of the donor they had chosen, but after the DNA results, they realized they actually knew nothing.
SPERM BANK: NO SUCH ERROR HAS BEEN RECORDED IN OUR 45-YEAR HISTORY
Cryos International, the Denmark-based company whose donors some families said they had selected, also issued a statement to the BBC as part of the initial investigation. The company's CEO, Ole Schou, stated that numerous safety procedures are implemented to prevent sperm samples from being mixed up, but due to the human factor, no system can be 100% guaranteed. However, Schou stated that in the company's approximately 45-year history, no such error had been recorded.
European reproductive health experts interviewed by the BBC also noted that the accidental use of the wrong donor in IVF treatment is extremely rare, and the emergence of multiple similar incidents linked to the same treatment team should be seriously investigated.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH HAD LAUNCHED AN INVESTIGATION
Following the initial allegations being reflected in the public eye, the TRNC Ministry of Health also took action. The Ministry stated that the allegations were being taken seriously and announced that an official investigation had been initiated to determine whether any procedures contrary to the laws and regulations in force had been carried out at IVF centers.
The fact that the allegations, initially raised through 7 children, have now reached at least 30 children with the new investigation also raises questions about whether the scope of the launched investigation will be expanded and whether the situations of other families who received treatment at the same centers in past years will be examined.
Families, on the other hand, want to determine who the actual biological donors of their children are, have the donors' health and genetic histories disclosed to them, and uncover how and why it happened if the donors they chose were not used in their treatment. .